The United States beat Pakistan in the Super Over during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies and United States 2024 match against Pakistan at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas, June 6, 2024. Saurabh Netravalkar celebrates.
Matt Roberts | ICC | Getty Images
The United States delivered a huge and historic shock at the T20 World Cup by defeating Pakistan in a thrilling Super Over in Texas.
The two sides scored 159 runs in 20 overs at the Grande Prairie Stadium and the match went into overtime, with co-hosts and debutants the United States scoring 14 points in the final over to equal Pakistan’s total.
The United States batted first in the Super Over and then upped the pressure on their opponents at 18-18, with Aaron Jones scoring 11 before being run out and seven more from extra points.
Iftikhar Ahmed then led Pakistan to a three-ball scoreless score before he was caught brilliantly by Nitish Kumar near the boundary and American bowler Sola Saurabh Netravalkar restricted Pakistan to 13 off 13 balls.
Group A leaders the United States beat Canada by seven wickets in their opener last Sunday and now have a good chance of making it to the Super 8s. The top two teams from the four groups advance to the quarterfinals.
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US captain Monank Patel, who received the official Man of the Match award, described the result as a “great achievement”
“Beating Pakistan, the first time we played, I was really proud of the kids the way we played today,” he said.
“It was a whole team effort from the first ball to the last ball. After winning the toss, we made sure we took advantage of the bowlers’ conditions and kudos.
“They kept the target within 160 and we knew 160 was a target to chase.”
USA player Monak Patel celebrates during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup match between West Indies and USA 2024 against Pakistan at Grand Prairie Cricket Ground in Dallas on June 6, 2024 Half a century of his own.
Matt Roberts | ICC | Getty Images
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed regret over his team’s batting performance.
“We didn’t use the bat, they took a lot of power,” he said. “We lost consecutive wickets in the middle overs. As a batting unit you need to step up, you need to build partnerships and we didn’t do that.
“To Team USA’s credit, they performed really well. They were better than us in every aspect of the game.”
How America became a superpower amid Pakistan’s counterattack
In the regular innings, Pakistan got off to a slow start, recovering from 26 runs for three in the fifth inning to 159 runs for seven.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam hit 2 sixes in 43 off 44 balls, Shadab Khan hit 40 off 25 balls and eighth-ranked Shaheen Azam Shaheen Afridi bowled 23 off 16 balls.
Team USA seemed to be responding as they posted a score of 104 in the 14th over.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam bats during the 2024 ICC Men’s 2024 World Cup Group A match between the United States and Pakistan at the Grand Prairie Cricket Ground in Grand Prairie, Texas on June 6, 2024. ball.
Andrew Caballero Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Skipper Patel’s 38-ball 50 and Andries Gous’s 35 off 26 balls left them needing 56 to win by 44 balls.
But after Monank was dismissed in the 15th over, Jones needed a six off the third last ball and Kumar a four off the last delivery to level the score and force the super over.
How important is this win to American Cricket?
This is the first time the ICC is hosting a major event in the United States, with the United States sharing hosting duties with West Indies.
Patel believes their victory over 2009 champions and two-time runners-up Pakistan will be a landmark moment for the sport in the United States.
“Of course, beating Pakistan in the World Cup will open a lot of doors for us,” he said.
“People, like the U.S. cricket community, will realize that. Obviously having the World Cup in the U.S. and performing here as a team helps us grow cricket in the U.S.”
The United States had already attracted attention ahead of this World Cup, beating Bangladesh 2-1 in a warm-up match last month.
Asked whether his team’s remarkable series win against Bangladesh should no longer be viewed as a fluke, Patel said: “We are not worried about what people are saying.
“We know what we do and what capabilities we have. We just focus on certain games.”
What’s next?
In one of the most intense matches in cricket, Pakistan’s next match against India On Sunday, the Men’s T20 World Cup Group A match starts at 3.30pm UK and Ireland time in New York. Established sky sports cricket Begins at 3 p.m.
this Team USA’s next game is also against IndiaIt will be held on Wednesday, June 12 at 3:30 pm at the same venue in New York.
Both matches were played at the purpose-built Nassau County Cricket Stadium in Long Island, with the International Cricket Council promising to address pitch issues following the initial Sri Lanka-South Africa and India-Ireland matches.
“T20 Inc and the ICC recognize that the pitch used to date at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has not been as consistent as we had hoped,” an ICC statement read.
“Since the conclusion of yesterday’s match, the world-class grounds team have been working hard to rectify the situation and provide the best possible surface for the remainder of the match.”
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